We are born with an innate readiness to seek out and attach ourselves to others. As infants, we sought a state of physical and emotional connectedness with our parents. Our parents, as primary care providers, gave us good and bad experiences. Those experiences have profoundly affected us. From our parents we received the capacity or lack thereof to form durable and loving relationships. We also received the capacity or lack thereof to develop our own mental or intellectual capacities fully and productively.

A capacity for true relationships with friends, a partner, and children is not easy to come by or develop. We must come to terms not only with our need for autonomy as individuals, but also with the equally important need to be in community. We must also develop the ability to tolerate knowledge without attempting to restrict the feelings or behavior of others in order to meet our own needs or desires. Relationships are complicated.

Authentic relationships, however, are fundamental to our social, emotional, and intellectual well-being. They are at the fabric of our society. For some it is more difficult than others to develop lasting and intimate relationships. But, relationships, no matter how difficult, are paramount to human well-being and satisfaction.

I learned patterns of intimacy from my parents and developed my own pattern of intellectual and emotional behaviors to develop and nurture intimacy. Intimacy is a gift from God. However, it is a gift that must be intentionally nurtured over a lifetime.

May I encourage each of you to look at your relationships with God and others. How are you taking care of them? Are relationships in which you are involved growing deeper in intimacy? How have relationships you value become stagnant?

Next week, I will list all the ministries at Grace which you can engage to go deeper in your relationship with God and others.

On our Interim Pastor journey with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor